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Consultation period

5 August 2024 - 5:00 pm To 18 August 2024 - 5:00 pm

Draft list of NDIS Support

Download the draft list of NDIS Support:

Supports that are ‘NDIS supports’

The below contains 36 categories of NDIS supports, a description of the category, and any carve outs to the description that are not ‘NDIS supports’.

Accommodation/ tenancy assistance

Description

Supports that guide, prompt, or assist a participant to undertake activities that ensure they obtain/retain appropriate accommodation.

This may include assisting a participant to apply for a rental tenancy or to undertake tenancy obligations in line with the participant’s tenancy agreement.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

Does not include:

  • rental costs,
  • bond costs,
  • mortgage repayments etc

See the ‘Day-to-day living costs’ category.

Assistance Animals

Description

An animal specially trained by an accredited assistance animal provider to help a participant with tasks. These are things the animal wouldn’t naturally do otherwise, like guiding a participant through crowded places. Includes ongoing maintenance costs such as vet fees, transport and special diets for the assistance animal.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Assistance In Coordinating or Managing Life Stages, Transitions and Supports

Description

Supports to establish assistance within the participant’s home or community to develop skills. Includes support coordination, mentoring, peer support and individual skill development such as attending appointments, shopping, bill paying, taking part in social activities and maintaining contact with others.

Active involvement in planning and transition supports on the basis of a person having reached a point of stability in regard to functional capacity, prior to hospital discharge (or equivalent for other healthcare settings) wherever there is a need for ongoing maintenance support.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Assistance to Access and Maintain Employment or higher education

Description

Workplace assistance that enables a participant to successfully obtain and/or retain employment in the open or supported labour market, including individual employment support, employment preparation and support in a group and school leaver employment supports to assist students transitioning from school to employment.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

Does not include:

  • learning and support needs of students that primarily relate to their education and training attainment,
  • work-specific support related to recruitment processes, work arrangements or the working environment,
  • funding or provision of employment services and programs

Assistance With Daily Life Tasks in a Group or Shared Living Arrangement

Description

Assistance with and/or supervision of tasks of daily life in a shared living environment, which is either temporary or ongoing, with a focus on developing the skills of each individual to live as autonomously as possible, including short term accommodation and respite.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Assistance With Travel/Transport Arrangements

Description

Transport assistance, including training, activity-based transport, provider travel, and costs associated with the use of taxis/private transport, where the participant cannot travel independently or use public transport due to the impact of their impairment/s on their functional capacity.

This includes transporting participants to funded supports and other activities including school, educational facility, employment, or the community.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Assistive Equipment for Recreation

Description

Specialist products used in competitive and non-competitive sports and other recreational pursuits.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Assistive Products for Household Tasks

Description

Specialist products to enable cooking, cleaning, washing, home maintenance and other tasks.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Assistive Products for Personal Care And Safety

Description

Specialist products for personal care or safety including beds and pressure mattresses, toilet and bathroom equipment, specialised clothing and continence needs.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Specialist Positive Behaviour Support

Description

Support provided by professionals with specialist skills in positive behaviour support including assessment, development and delivery of a comprehensive plan that aims to reduce and manage behaviours of concern, and training and ongoing monitoring of staff in plan implementation.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Communication And Information Equipment

Description

Products to assist with alternate communication or to access written or spoken communication via electronic or other means.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Community Nursing Care

Description

Provision of specialist care for participants who have high care needs requiring a high level of skill, and for the training of support workers to respond to the participant’s complex needs.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Customised Prosthetics (includes Orthotics)

Description

Prescription and manufacture of customised prostheses or orthoses requiring specialist skills.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Daily Personal Activities

Description

Assistance with and/or supervision of personal tasks of daily life to enable a participant to live as autonomously as possible in a range of environments, including but not limited to, the participant’s own home.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Development Of Daily Care And Life Skills

Description

Development of daily living and life skills focuses on training and development activities undertaken by a participant or their carer to increase their ability to live as autonomously as possible, including supports that will enhance the ability of the participant to travel and use public transport independently.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Disability-Related Health Supports

Description

Disability-related health supports where the supports are a regular part of the participant’s daily life, and result from the participant’s disability. This includes continence, dysphagia, respiratory, nutrition, diabetic management, epilepsy, podiatry and foot care, and wound and pressure care supports.

Supports for people with complex communication needs or challenging behaviours while accessing health services, including hospitals and in-patient facilities.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Early Intervention Supports For Early Childhood

Description

Provision of a mix of therapies, and a key worker for the family. Supports for all children 0-9 years with developmental delay or disability and their families to achieve better long-term outcomes, regardless of diagnosis.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Exercise Physiology & Personal Well-being Activities

Description

Physical wellbeing activities to promote and encourage physical well-being, including exercise.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Group And Centre Based Activities

Description

Assistance for participants to access and participate in community, social and recreational activities provided in a group setting, either in the community or in a centre.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Hearing Equipment

Description

Specialist hearing supports (excluding surgical services) where these supports directly relate to a person’s permanent impairment.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

General hearing services or supports otherwise provided by Hearing Australia

High Intensity Daily Personal Activities

Description

Assistance with and/or supervision of tasks of daily life to enable a participant with complex needs to live as autonomously as possible in a range of environments, including but not limited to, the participant’s own home.

These supports are provided by a worker with additional qualifications and experience relevant to the participants’ complex needs.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Home Modification Design and Construction

Description

Design and subsequent changes or modification to a participant’s home, including installation of equipment or changes to building structures, fixture or fittings to enable participants to live as independently as possible or to live safely at home.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

Design and subsequent changes or modifications to state or territory owned public housing

Household tasks

Description

Essential household tasks that a participant is not able to undertake because of their disability, including meal preparation and delivery, house or yard maintenance, cleaning and laundry.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Innovative Community Participation

Description

Activities not included under other community participation registration groups; for mainstream providers who want to enable participants to access mainstream activities.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Interpreting and Translation

Description

Assistance to a participant to enable independent communication in essential personal, social or community activities where translation is not available from a mainstream service.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Management of Funding for Supports

Description

Management of funding for supports by a registered plan management provider – both defined in the Act.

Section 9:

registered plan management provider means an NDIS provider who is registered to manage the funding for supports under plans as mentioned in paragraph 73E(2)(a).

Section 42:

(1) For the purposes of this Act, managing the funding for supports under a participant’s plan means doing one or more of the following:

(a) purchasing the supports identified in the plan (including paying any applicable indirect costs, such as taxes, associated with the supports);

(b) receiving any funding provided by the Agency;

(ba) managing any funding provided by the Agency;

(c) acquitting any funding provided by the Agency.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Participation in Community, Social and Civic Activities

Description

Assisting a participant to participate actively in community, social and civic activities; including supporting participants during these activities and developing participants’ ability to partake in these activities.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Personal Mobility Equipment

Description

Products to enable personal mobility, including equipment for walking, wheelchairs and transfer aids.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)

Description

As defined in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Specialist Disability Accommodation) Rules 2020:

specialist disability accommodation:

  1. means accommodation for a person who requires specialist housing solutions, including to assist with the delivery of supports that cater for the person’s extreme functional impairment or very high support needs; but
  2. does not include supports delivered to the person while the person is living in the accommodation.

These rules also govern participant eligibility and requirements for SDA dwellings.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Specialised Driver Training

Description

Driver training using adapted equipment or vehicle modification.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Specialised Hearing Services

Description

Specialised hearing services for children and adults with complex needs.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Specialised Supported Employment

Description

Assistance in specialised supported employment/Australian Disability Enterprise.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Specialised Support Coordination

Description

The provision of Support Coordination within a specialist framework necessitated by specific high-level risks in the participant’s situation. Support focuses on addressing barriers and reducing complexity in the support environment, while assisting the participant to connect with supports and build capacity and resilience. It may also involve development of an intervention plan which will be put in place by disability support workers.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Therapeutic Supports

Description

Evidence-based therapy supports provided to assist a participant to apply their functional skills to improve participation and independence in daily, practical activities in areas such as language and communication, personal care, mobility and movement, interpersonal interactions and community living. This includes funding further assessment by health professionals for support planning and review as required.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

N/A

Vehicle Modifications

Description

Vehicle modifications including the installation of, or changes to, equipment in a vehicle to enable a participant to travel safely as a passenger or to drive.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

  • Purchase of a vehicle of any kind, including motor vehicles, motorbikes, watercrafts, all terrain vehicles and other recreational vehicles,
  • Mechanical repairs,
  • Tools
  • Vehicle registration

Vision Equipment

Description

Products for navigation, orientation, braille, magnifiers and note taking equipment.

Carve outs that are not ‘NDIS supports’

Prescription glasses

Supports that are not ‘NDIS supports’

The below contains 15 categories of goods and services that are not an ‘NDIS support’, a description of the category, and any carve outs to the description that are considered an ‘NDIS support’.

Day-to-day living costs

Description

Accommodation and household related:

  • Rent, rental bonds, home deposits, mortgage deposits, strata fees, rental bonds and home deposits.
  • Standard home security and maintenance costs, fencing, gates and building repairs
  • General furniture removal and services, unwanted furniture pick up
  • Pools, pool heating and maintenance, spa baths, saunas, steam rooms
  • General home repairs, general renovations and maintenance.
  • Water, gas, and electricity bills, council rates
  • Water filters, purifiers, or aerators.
  • Electricity generators, solar panels, and batteries
  • Standard household items (dishwasher, fridge, washing machine, non-modified kitchen utensils and crockery, fire alarms, floor rugs, beanbags, lounges, standard mattresses, and bedding), replacement of appliances, including hot water services, solar panels, etc.

Finance and payments related:

  • Donations, tithes, gifts, and political contributions,
  • Fines penalties, and court-ordered amounts
  • Travel insurance, life insurance, home and contents insurance, car insurance and excess insurance for Novated vehicles (Salary Sacrifice).
  • Superannuation for participants or related parties (exceptions apply for arm’s length Employment arrangements)
  • School / education fees including TAFE and university.
  • Legal costs
  • Child support fees, debt repayments, gift cards
  • Business development costs, business skills development costs
  • Debts, liabilities, and taxes, other than those necessarily incurred in the receipt of supports

Food, Beverage related:

  • Groceries (except for modified foods required as a result of a person’s your disability e.g. PEG feeding),
  • Fast food services and takeaway food
  • Alcohol

Lifestyle related:

  • Cigarettes, vapes and smoking paraphernalia, legal cannabis
  • Gambling
  • Internet services, land line phone, mobile phones, mobile phone accessories, and mobile phone plans and smart phones.
  • Gaming PCs, consoles and games, subscriptions for streaming services
  • Standard toys, balls, racquets, uniforms, membership costs and other costs associated with recreational sports
  • Wedding, honeymoon, funeral, other events.
  • Musical instruments, music production, social media production
  • Tickets to music, theatre, cinema or sporting events, and general conference fees
  • Sex work
  • Sex toys
  • Surrogacy, Menstrual products, IVF
  • Trampolines
  • General play equipment, indoor or outdoor.
  • Membership of a recreational club

Clothing related:

  • Jewellery, watches (including smart watches)
  • Makeup, cosmetic treatments, wigs, and cosmetics
  • Standard clothing and footwear

Travel related:

  • Cruises, holiday packages, holiday accommodation, including overseas travel, Airfares, passports, visa, meals and activities.
  • Tickets to theme parks, tourism and entertainment operators.
  • Motor vehicles, motorbikes, watercraft, all-terrain vehicles and other recreational vehicles, mechanical repairs, tools, vehicle registration.
  • Petrol

Pet Related:

  • Animals (other than approved NDIS funded assistance animals),
  • pet food for animals other than for approved NDIS assistance animals,
  • veterinarian costs, pet boarding, pet grooming, taxidermy, pet cremations/funeral

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

The following day to day living costs may be funded under the NDIS if they relate to reasonable and necessary supports:

  • Additional living costs that are incurred by a participant solely and directly as a result of their disability support needs
  • Services delivered in a gym or recreational club related to the participant’s disability support needs (excluding the cost of membership, entry, or basic equipment).
  • Play equipment where it is specialist sensory equipment could be funded under Assisted Technology
  • Additional insurance costs that arise from modified vehicles
  • Additional costs to upgrade standard household items to household items that include accessibility features

Not value for money/not effective or beneficial

Description

Alternative and complementary therapies:

  • Crystal therapy
  • Tarot card reading, Clairvoyants
  • Cuddle therapy
  • Reflexology
  • Aromatherapy
  • Sound therapy
  • Yoga Therapy
  • Wilderness Therapy
  • Alternative or complementary medicine

Wellness and coaching related:

  • General massage
  • Sports or athletic supplements
  • Life/wellness/career coach/cultural coach
  • Hypnotherapy
  • Neurofeedback
  • Gaming therapy
  • Mastermind coaching
  • Somatic therapy
  • Kinesiology

Energy and Healing Practices related:

  • Reiki (including intuitive reiki), Scalar Lounge, Frequency Healing and Energy balanced massage, Deep Energy Clearing, Spinal Flow Technique, Shamanic Healing

Beauty Services related:

  • Hair therapy, hair and beauty services including nail salons

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

  • Therapeutic massage that is directly related to a participant’s disability support needs

Mainstream – Health

Description

  • The diagnosis and clinical treatment of health conditions, including ongoing or chronic health conditions
  • Diagnostic assessments and screening services.
  • Time-limited, goal-oriented services and therapies:
    • where the predominant purpose is treatment directly related to the person’s health status, or
    • provided after a recent medical or surgical event, with the aim of improving the person’s functional status, including post-acute rehabilitation or post-acute care
  • Any pharmaceutical
  • Any equipment or assistive technology prescribed as a result of clinical care, treatment or management from a medical practitioner delivered in the context of clinical care.
  • Acute, subacute, emergency and outpatient clinical services delivered through public or private hospitals.
  • Prescription medicines, non-prescription medicines, biological medicines, vaccines, sunscreens, weight loss products, vitamins, sport and athletic supplements, homeopathic medicines, prescription glasses
  • Nursing services (where related to treatment of a health event)
  • Ambulance services or membership
  • Health transport services
  • Hospital in the home services
  • Sleep consultant services.
  • Health retreats
  • New-born follow-up provided in the health system, including child and maternal health services
  • Palliative care

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

  • Disability-related health supports where the supports are a regular part of the participant’s daily life, and result from the participant’s disability. This includes continence, dysphagia, respiratory, nutrition, diabetic management, epilepsy, podiatry and foot care, and wound and pressure care supports.
  • Jointly with other parties, provision of specialist allied health, rehabilitation and other therapy, jointly with health services, to facilitate enhanced functioning and community re-integration of people with recently acquired severe conditions such as newly acquired spinal cord and severe acquired brain injury.
  • Thickeners and nutritional supplements related to disability-related nutrition supports.

Mainstream – Mental Health

Description

  • Any pharmaceutical
  • Treatment for drug and alcohol dependency, eating disorders, gambling and other addictions.
  • Acute, subacute emergency and outpatient clinical services delivered through public and private hospital mental health services.
  • Supports related to mental health that are clinical in nature, including acute, ambulatory and continuing care, rehabilitation
  • Any residential care where the primary purpose is for inpatient treatment or clinical rehabilitation, or where the services model primarily employs clinical staff

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

  • Ongoing psychosocial recovery supports

Mainstream – Child Protection and Family Support

Description

  • Out of school hours care
  • Vacation care, excluding respite.
  • Travel and accommodation for parents with children in OOHC
  • Guardianship services
  • Family therapy
  • Parenting programs
  • Babysitting or nannying services, au pairs
  • Dating or relationship services including VR/match makers/Apps
  • Marriage and relationship counselling
  • Statutory child protection services required by families who have entered, or are at risk of entering, the statutory child protection system
  • General parenting programs, counselling or other supports for families, which are provided to families at risk of child protection intervention and to the broader community, including making them accessible and appropriate for families with disability
  • Funding or providing out-of-home care or support to carers of children in out-of-home care where these supports are not additional to the needs of children of similar age in similar out-of-home care arrangements

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

  • Parenting programs specific to a disability need (could be considered under capacity building supports)

Mainstream – Early Childhood Development

Description

  • Childcare fees, including any fees associated with specialist or segregated childcare service models.
  • Teaching aids or supports related to educational attainment
  • Building modifications for early childhood educational and care settings.
  • Meeting the early childhood education and care needs of a child

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

N/A

Mainstream – School Education

Description

  • Out of school hours care
  • School fees including any fees associated with specialist or segregated schooling models.
  • School uniforms, shoes, lunchboxes, drink bottles or other school equipment unless a specially adapted item is required to address a participant’s functional impairment.
  • Personalised learning or supports for students that primarily relate to their educational attainment
  • Aids and equipment for educational purposes (e.g. modified computer hardware, education software, braille textbooks)
  • Aids and equipment which are fixed or non transportable in schools that enable a student access to education (e.g. hoists)
  • Reasonable adjustment to campuses, including capital works (e.g. ramps, lifts, hearing loops)
  • Services from a person employed at the participant’s school or the relevant department of education for education purposes
  • Textbooks and teaching aids (including alternative formats)
  • Tutors, scribes
  • Educational supports associated with home schooling
  • School refusal programs
  • School camp fees
  • Transport between school activities

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

  • In-kind Personal Care in School and Specialist School Transport

Mainstream – Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training

Description

  • School fees
  • Any supports for students that primarily relate to their education and training attainment
  • Building modifications to TAFEs and university campuses
  • Services from a person employed at the participant’s higher education facility
  • Learning assistance and aids
  • Teaching assistance and aids
  • Textbooks and teaching aids (including alternative formats)
  • Transport between education or training activities
  • General education to employment transition supports

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

N/A

Mainstream – Employment

Description

  • Disability Employment Services
  • Work-specific aids and equipment required to perform a job (including modified hardware and software)
  • Reasonable adjustments to access a workplace
  • Work-specific support related to:
    • recruitment processes,
    • work arrangements or the working environment, including workplace modifications, work-specific aids and equipment,
    • transport within work activities and
    • work-specific support required in order to comply with laws dealing with discrimination on the basis of disability
  • Employment services and programs, including both disability-targeted and open employment services, to provide advice and support to:
    • people with disability to prepare for, find and maintain jobs
    • employers to encourage and assist them to hire and be inclusive of people with disability in the workplace (i.e. support, training and resources, funding assistance to help employers make reasonable adjustments, and incentives for hiring people with disability, e.g. wage subsidies)

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

N/A

Mainstream – Housing and Community Infrastructure

Description

  • The provision of accommodation for people in need of housing assistance, including routine tenancy support
  • Ensuring that appropriate and accessible housing is provided for people with disability, other than participants eligible for specialist disability accommodation (SDA)
  • Ensuring that new publicly-funded housing stock, where the site allows, incorporates Liveable Housing Design features
  • Homelessness-specific services including homelessness outreach and emergency accommodation.
  • The improvement of community infrastructure, i.e. accessibility of the built and natural environment, where this is managed through other planning and regulatory systems and through building modifications and reasonable adjustment where required
  • Postal services
  • Housing subsidies (e.g. rental bonds, mortgage relief and assistance with buying a home)
  • Crisis housing (excluding discharge from hospital, aged care)
  • Mortgage payments.
  • Rental payments
  • Mobile homes, caravans, campervans, tents
  • Purchase of land, or house and land packages
  • Land taxes and levies
  • Council rates and taxes

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

  • Medium term accommodation if you have a long-term home you will move into after MTA but you can’t move into your long term home yet because your disability supports aren’t ready and you can’t stay in your current accommodation while you wait for your long term home.
  • Delivery fees for NDIS supports (e.g. delivery of assistive technology)

Mainstream – Transport

Description

  • Accessible public transport
  • Public transport fares
  • Concessions to facilitate use of public transport
  • Airline lounge memberships
  • Transport costs for pets and companion animals.
  • Transport infrastructure, including road and footpath infrastructure
  • Community transport services
  • Modifications to public transport and taxis

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

N/A

Mainstream – Justice

Description

  • Supports in secure mental health facilities which are primarily treatment focused (clinical in nature)
  • Supervision and monitoring of offenders
  • The day-to-day care and support needs of a person in custody, including supervision, personal care and general supports
  • Pre-sentence psychological and psychiatric reports
  • Secure accommodation facilities where the purpose of this accommodation is to safeguard the community or prevent reoffending, including secure mental health facilities.

 

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

N/A

Mainstream – Aged Care

Description

  • Aged care services

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

  • Supports for an NDIS participant under the age of 65 who chooses to live in residential aged care and purchase support from an aged care provider

Unlawful goods and services

Description

  • A support the provision of which would be contrary to:
    • a law of the Commonwealth
    • a law of the State or Territory in which the support would be provided.
  • Assistive technology, vehicle modifications or home modifications that do not meet state and territory laws, the National Construction Code or relevant Australian standards
  • Supports involving restrictive practices that are not authorised in the participant’s state or territory of residence
  • Illicit drugs or other consumable products that are against the law
  • Firearms and weapons
  • Seclusion rooms

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

N/A

Income replacement

Description

  • Income support payments
  • Rent subsidy
  • Loan repayments or buy now pay later payments.
  • Income protection insurance
  • Fringe Benefits for staff or contractors
  • Cryptocurrency, shares, investment products

Carve outs that may be considered ‘NDIS supports’ for certain participants

N/A